Acer Leap Beads Bridges Gap Between Spirituality and Tech

A person's faith or lack thereof is deeply personal. For those living in Asia, Acer has found a way to bring spirituality into the 21st century with its Leap Beads. Priced at $3,888 NTD ($132.78 USD), the beads are a tech version of traditional Buddhist prayer beads.

Just like their non-tech counterparts, Leap Beads are designed to help people keep track of recited mantras. But instead of using them in conjunction with a metal counter, a companion app will record every prayer. A lotus blossom at the top of your current results opens slightly the closer you get to your goal. In addition to prayers, the beads also record your footsteps like a regular fitness tracker.

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During my hands-on, I was impressed with the 2 seconds it took to pair the Leap Beads to a smartphone. You just launch the app, place the beads on the designated area on the smartphone and it's ready to go.

But hands down my favorite thing about the beads is that they look like regular beads. All the beads tech is located in the largest bead marked with a small lotus symbol. The remaining beads are made from actual sandalwood which makes for a lightweight device with a pleasant, relaxing smell.

Although the Leap Beads are currently only available in Asia, I hope Acer takes them global soon. I'm also hoping Acer considers bringing the technology to other forms of prayer beads, because being tech-savvy and spiritual aren't mutually exclusive.

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Sherri L. Smith has been cranking out product reviews for Laptopmag.com since 2011. In that time, she's reviewed more than her share of laptops, tablets, smartphones and everything in between. The resident gamer and audio junkie, Sherri was previously a managing editor for Black Web 2.0 and contributed to BET.Com and Popgadget.